Long Time, No See,

[Teddy Cameron]

Teddy watched his siblings play in the park with a smile on his face. His life was turning up for once. The kids were well behaved and calmer than before, his cousins were helping him raise them a lot, Stacey seemed to be getting better and he had ran into the love of his life once more. He was meeting Skyle again tomorrow to catch up and, for once, he was nervous. He didn't know if he still felt the same and, even if he did, did the situation change anything and did she feel the same as him?

Teddy shook the thoughts out of his head and tried to relax. His hopes for tomorrow were a simple day out to catch up. If anything happened then he'd let it, if it didn't he wouldn't push it. Simple. Right?

Teddy turned his concentration back onto the little boy and girl on the swings. Olivia was pushing Oscar and he was screaming in delight, making all of the mothers around the park awwww at them. He had gotten many complements from the older women about how brave he was etc etc. It bored him really, he preferred the younger females after all.

Teddy stood up, intending to go and join his siblings, when he barged someone. He remembered a time, not that long ago, when he would've yelled at the other person for doing that, but that wasn't him now. He was trying to control his anger issues and that meant a lot of deep breaths apparently. "Sorry about that, wasn't looking." He couldn't see much of the girl, just that she had blonde hair. At least, he thought it was blonde, it might have well have been white for the brightness it was.

 

[Angela Marion]

The sunlight had been so bright since Angela had returned. Over in the Americas it was rainy a lot of the days, and the days it was sunny, Angela stayed inside because the humidity was too much. The only thing that called Angela back to New Zealand was the recent death of her foster father. He had let her travel abroad for a bit, so that she could be better versed with things. They had their daily lessons still, over web chat and such, but Angela felt more free. Damian was okay that way.

Angela may not have liked him that much, but when she got that phone call, all she could do was stand there. it was hard to accept, that yet another person around her had died. She couldn't help but feel that she was to be blamed. She would have been home with him and Kairi, and though she wasn't a strong swimmer, she would have been able to help. it was those thoughts that wracked her mind as she was flown back to her old home, and empty house with just her, Skyle and Kairi. Whomever adopted them would have to put up with her now.

Angela crossed her arms and frowned slightly, looking around, squinting her aqua orbs in the bright light. Her skin almost seemed to reflect the daylight, because of how pale it had gotten. Traveling to Ireland, she fit right in, her pale skin and stereo-typical red hair made her seem like a true Irish lady. She had had a couple of flings while over there, but could never let herself trust enough to find a reason to stay. She sighed and looked at her shoes as she walked, the small flats adding to the illusion that she was short, as she always was.

Having been distracted with the little jewels on the toes of the flats, Angela did not notice the boy. She was able to keep on her feet, but stumbled back slightly. Years ago, she would have fallen back and cursed. instead she turned her Aqua orbs to the boy. "Teddy?" She questioned, extremely surprised.

 

[Teddy Cameron]

Teddy recognized the voice that spoke his name. He had to wonder what was going on, not a week ago her cousin had also appeared from no where. He wondered who would be the next old friend to re-appear. Maybe Immy would. "Ange?" He looked at the shorter girl with the white hair a bit closer. She had changed but it was definitely his Angela.

"Long time no see." Teddy smiled, something felt right, having her here. She had always been there for him, ready to forgive whatever mistakes he had made. "Skyle said you were off abroad." He smiled, remembering he was meeting Skyle tomorrow. "Sounded fun and exciting."

Teddy had known Angela for, what seemed like, forever but he still didn't understand her fully. Like himself, she was ever changing. They both seemed to move constantly and she was the only person so far who had been able to, and willing too, keep up and stick along. "Love the hair." He smiled at her.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela wouldn't admit it or show it, but the moment he said her name, there was a bit of a spark in her. Past 'flings' with the elder boy had left her with a bit of an open wound. She looked him over, her aqua eyes moving about his features; he looked so grown up now. She remembered all the good and bad times she had had with Teddy, and a light smile graced her pale-pink lips. "The one and only." She said. Her voice was fragile, a lot lighter then it had been the last time that she had spoken to him. She stood up a bit straighter, trying to show off the inch she had grown.

"Yeah, I'll say." She said, the smile growing into a genuine one. His smile gave her little flutters. She couldn't help but feel the way she did, though she swore she'd never go back to him. It was a good thing she did, because the off and on abuse and love was just something she couldn't handle anymore.

"I was." She replied to his comment, wondering if Teddy and Skyle had kept in touch the entire time she was gone. "It was very exciting. i met a lot of new people. it was so rainy in the Americas though." She said with a bit of a smile. "Thank you. Love the kids." She said, referring to the children she had met once before. She did not have Kairi with her this time.

 

[Teddy Cameron]

Teddy chuckled, he had missed her. She seemed more confidant now than before but he didn't mind, he sort of preferred it. "Thanks, I like them too." He grinned and ran his hand through his, already messy, hair. "How come you've come back to New Zealand then?" He was more than slightly curious. She had been allowed to roam the world and she came back. "Just seems like a great opportunity to explore."

Teddy knew Angela, probably better than almost everyone. He couldn't beat Skyle though. He knew what she was like, no matter the mood, and knew she was the kind of person who was happy to just disappear into a random country, only to reappear in another a few months later. She was an explorer, once she got her confidence up anyway.

 

[Angela Marion]

She let out a slight laugh before her face turned to a frown. It was like her entire demeanor changed with her facial expressions. She looked at her feet, watching her shoes, as she moved her feet. She didn't know how to answer, her mouth went dry at the questions. "It wasn't really my choice." She answered after a few moments of silence. She looked into his eyes, they were still the way she remembered. She then looked down again.

"Damian..." She paused for what felt to her, like an eternity. She then sighed. She didn't want to cry, she wasn't going to cry. Angela began sobbing. She threw herself against Teddy like she would have years ago, like she would have when she needed him in her third year. "H-he died." She said, feeling completely helpless and small against him.

 

[Teddy Cameron]

Teddy's heart shattered when he saw Angela break. "Oh, S**t!" He swore before turning to the children. "Livi, take Oscar for an ice cream okay? Me and Angela need a bit of alone adult talk time." The small girl took the boy across the park to the ice cream van. He could see them perfectly fine so he wouldn't worry about them while he was with Ange.

"Hey babe, it'll be okay." Teddy hugged her close, into one of his famous bear hugs. He knew she would be crying and he knew she would be angry as well as sad, especially if she wasn't here when it happened. He knew Angela's mind well, he could tell there would be self-blaming going on. He knew she would convince herself it was her fault somehow.

"What's going to happen to you girls?" Teddy knew the possibility that they would be separated, it was pretty high. People rarely wanted damaged children like those girls were, let alone two and a baby. He hoped they wouldn't be separated. If there wasn't anything definite done he would talk to Taneaka, see if there was anything she could do. Sure, she may be in leagues with the death eaters but she was also one of the most maternal people he knew in the world.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela's aqua orbs teared more as he held her. She couldn't help but feel so small, like she did the first time he ever held her when she cried. She let the tears fall freely, something she wouldn't let anyone but him see. Ever. Since arriving back, Angela had done her best to detach herself from all of her emotions. The sadness overwhelmed her at this point, though, and she just couldn't take it.

Angela listened to Teddy's rumbling in his chest as he spoke, his heart beat keeping time to a beat less music. He was the only person who could understand her at this point; not even Skyle could understand it. She collapsed into a ball of pain on Teddy's chest. She just didn't want to handle it anymore.

"We're getting sent to a new home." She said through a pain riddled voice. "They put us in the same house with a new family and everything! I can't have a new family Teddy!" She nearly yelled, drawing attention to the two people. She couldn't let another person die.

 

[Teddy Cameron]

Teddy held Angela at arms length, looking into her eyes but keeping his grip comfortingly tight on her. "No! I know what is going through your head Ange and I don't want to hear it. None of this is your fault okay? I don't care what you think, you're just the victim of nasty circumstances." He hated that she felt it was her fault and knew she would be thinking horrible things would happen to the new people.

"Look, this family will be fine, I'm telling you. Even if I have to do it myself." Teddy pulled her back in to hug her. He was aware of how much influence he had on her and, though he didn't want to misuse it, he knew she had to see she wasn't the reason for all the people's deaths. "Look, why don't I come down and meet them when you're all settled, see if I like them eh? Give you, Kairi and Skyle a bit of support to help you through it?" He didn't want her to think he was just there for her.

Teddy had realised, when he had run into Skyle, that he still harboured his old feelings for the blonde beauty. In fact, he was almost sure he loved her. Standing here, he knew he didn't feel for Angela as he had in the past and, while it saddened him to know he would hurt her, he was relieved. She brought out some nasty things in him as well as the good while her cousin brought out only the good.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela wanted to pull out of his grasp, and her eyes looked anywhere but into his. She just couldn't look at him. He could read the guilt, it was all over her face. She wanted the tears to stop, she felt like a child whom had scrapped their knee. "I..." She had the desperate urge to argue, but nothing would come of it. Teddy and her would scream most likely, because they were both hard headed and firm in their beliefs. Something that had gotten them into a lot of trouble years back.

Angela no longer returned his hug, tears and sobs subsiding slowly as her former state of living rigamortis set in. She refused to show these emotions around Skyle or Kairi; no one was supposed to know she felt this way. Angela was supposed to be the strong one; that was her title. She gave a light smile at him and pulled from his grasp, nodding. "Sure." She said. She wasn't going to give a defininte answer to him, because saying yes might make her sound needy. Angela wanted to be far, far from needy.

 

[Teddy Cameron]

Teddy turned away before turning back. "Stop it Ange." He turned back to her. He hated when she went this way, she withdrew from the world. "You know me, I'm not going to let you get away with that." This was a side he hated. SUre, he understood why she didn't trust people, but he hated that she locked herself away from the world.

 

[Angela Marion]

Angela looked at him, then down at the ground again. She wasn't going to dignify it with a response, that in itself was a weakness. "I'll see you when you stop in Teddy, I have to go." She said. She felt like she was going to cry again. She had already done enough crying for the entire world in her opinion. She turned and walked away from him, one tear on her cheek, praying he'd leave her be and not follow her.